Category Archives: food chain

ALERT: MOW DOWN MUGWORT BEFORE SEEDS RIPEN

ALERT: MOW DOWN MUGWORT BEFORE FROST, WHEN ITS SEEDS START TO FLY Connecticut plant scientists and volunteers who work on invasive issues are gravely concerned that mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris) is spreading rapidly throughout our road network. Minute seeds are blown … Continue reading

Posted in Botany, food chain, Invasive Species | 2 Comments

Trace Minerals & Toxins: GMO Concerns

Why does food grown organically seem to taste better than conventionally grown food. Is this my imagination or due to some real difference? I read that levels of trace minerals (micro-nutrients) were usually lower in non-organic food. This makes sense … Continue reading

Posted in food chain, Soils, Uncategorized, Wildlife Habitat | 1 Comment

Water Woes on Drumlins

What is a drumlin anyway?  A gremlin with an aptitude for percussion?   Seriously, a rounded, elongated hill in the Connecticut landscape is probably a “drumlin”. The best known is Horsebarn Hill on the eastern side of the UConn campus at … Continue reading

Posted in Energy efficiency, food chain, Native Landscaping, Soils, Water Quality, Wildlife Habitat | Tagged | Leave a comment

The Red Menace

Euonymus alata, also known as burning bush, is at least a clear-cut villain, unlike  some of the other invasives.    I recall spending a long June day collecting vegetation data in an an immense Euonymus thicket, a former estate  in Wilton. … Continue reading

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Far-Travelling Toxins

  Very High Toxin Concentrations found in Arctic Whales The link  below is  an article sent by a colleague on the surprisingly high levels of toxins, found in arctic whales.   Concentrations of toxic heavy metals like cadmium and chromium, were … Continue reading

Posted in food chain, oil spill, PAH, Water Quality, Wildlife Habitat | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment